Circuits Assembly Online Magazine - Features

The monthly order index compiled by the Electronic Components, Assemblies & Materials Association (ECA, Arlington, VA) continued its upward trend in April, marking the ninth month in a row in which the 12-month moving average has risen.

ECA's index is consistent with other recent reports from industries that rely on electronic components. According to the Federal Reserve Board, U.S. electronics and computer production increased 1.1% between February and March; the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) reports that March sales rose 4.4% from February to March; and market-research firm IDC predicts that sales of LCD panels will grow by 56% this year, reaching $37 billion.

Bob Willis, ECA president, cites the recent success of the CARTS and EDS trade shows, as well as strong advance registration for the upcoming ECTC event, as additional signs of industry resurgence.

"Companies tend to provide funding for continuing education, professional networking and technical exchange when they perceive that times are good and getting better," said Willis.

The ECA represents manufacturers and producers of passive and active electronic components, component arrays and assemblies, and materials and support services. It is a sector of the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA), comprising more than 2,100 members that represent 80% of the $430 billion U.S. electronics industry.

www.ec-central.org

Agilent Technologies Inc. (Palo Alto, CA) has shipped its 800th 93000 System-on-a-Chip (SOC) Series tester. According to the company, this milestone reinforces the market recognition of the series and its value as a single, scalable platform architecture.

"STMicroelectronics was one of our first customers when the 93000 was introduced, so we are pleased to mark this milestone with STMicro's most recent purchase," said Tom Newsom, vice president and general manager of Agilent's SOC Business Unit."

"The Agilent 93000 SOC Series offers support for a broad number of applications, including the fast-growing, price-conscious consumer electronics device market we supply," said Michel Vergniault, test strategy manager, Consumer and Microcontroller Group, STMicroelectronics. "Our continued relationship with Agilent is driven by our ongoing commitment to delivering advanced technology at a competitive price."

The series is designed to meet the demanding performance and cost challenges of SOC testing. Models are configured to span a range of applications that may require ultra-high-speed digital data rates, up to 10 Gb/s, and a range of mixed-signal and RF capabilities.

www.agilent.com

Cookson Group plc (London, UK) has announced that Raymond Sharpe, chief executive officer of the electronics division, has resigned his position, effective immediately, and will leave the company to take up a position in the private equity sector. Sharpe will join Texas Pacific Group, the equipty firm that recently agreed to buy Isola Laminate Systems.

According to The Financial Times, Sharpe is being brought in to run Isola. On May 12, Isola terminated its CEO, Michael Kowalski, and CFO, Dr. Peter Gaydoul.

Sharpe has agreed with the Board of Cookson to continue to assist the company as required for a short period.

Group chief executive Stephen Howard will assume direct responsibility for the electronics division.

Howard said, "Ray Sharpe has been a valued member of Cookson's executive team for many years and we are sorry to see him go. However, the electronics division benefits from a vastly experienced and highly motivated management team. As announced at the group's meeting on May 14, the strong recovery seen in the electronics division has continued into the second quarter and we are fully confident in our ability to continue to drive that recovery forward."

Cookson Group is a materials technology company that provides materials, processes and services to customers worldwide. The group's operations are formed into three divisions—electronics, ceramics and precious metals. The electronics division is a manufacturer and supplier of materials and services to the electronics industry, primarily serving fabricators and assemblers of printed circuit boards, assemblers of semiconductor packaging and the electrical and industrial markets.

www.cookson.co.uk

Alcatel Bell's (Geel, Belgium) 2004 Technology Day will feature Indium Corp.of America's (Utica, NY) Dr. Ning-Cheng Lee as the keynote speaker.

Subtitled, "Preparing for RoHS Compliancy," the event will feature information on the conversion to lead-free soldering. Dr. Lee, vice president of technology at Indium, will deliver his paper, "Status of Lead-Free Soldering in the Electronics Industry."

Dr. Lee will also deliver a second presentation during the conference: "Understanding the Effect of Surface Finish on Lead-Free Solder Joint Reliability."

Other speakers are from Alcatel Bell, Alcatel Corporate, AMI Semiconductor and IMEC.

The event will be held on June 10 at the Alcatel Bell facility in Belgium.

www.indium.com

www.alcatel.be

Electronics manufacturing services (EMS) provider Flextronics (Singapore) has awarded its eight top suppliers with its 2003 Global Supplier Performance Award.

As part of the annual event, Flextronics awarded suppliers who provided support in the areas of quality, total cost, global account management, supply chain and design.

"Our supply base delivered more than $11 billion in products and services to Flextronics for the 2003 calendar year," said Steve Martson, senior vice president and chief procurement officer of Flextronics. "Given the changing landscape of our business and important role suppliers play in our success, it's a pleasure to take this opportunity to recognize eight top suppliers for their outstanding performance."

Recipients of the 2003 awards include: Future Electronics, involved in the distribution and marketing of semiconductors and passive, interconnect and electro-mechanical components; KEMET Electronics Corp., a supplier of capacitor solutions, tantalum products, a MLCC product line and tantalum and aluminum organic polymer product offerings; KOA Corp., a supplier of surface-mount and through-hole resistors, tantalum chip capacitors, resistor networks, inductors, integrated components, circuit protection and EMI/EMC filtering components; Mitsui & Co., Ltd., a general trading company that maintains a global network of 195 offices in 86 countries, and has 746 subsidiaries and associated companies worldwide; ON Semiconductor, offering power- and data-management semiconductors and standard semiconductor components; ROHM Co. Ltd., a worldwide supplier of advanced electronic components; Texas Instruments Inc., providing DSP and analog technologies, sensors, controls and educational and productivity solutions; and Broad Technologies Inc., a printed circuit board manufacturer, producing over 1.5 million sq. ft. of PCBs per month.

www.flextronics.com

Purex International (Rotherham, UK), a manufacturer of fume extraction products, has appointed Paul Schofield in the role of customer support applications engineer. Schofield gained engineering experience during his time with the Royal Navy, GEC Marconi and BAE Systems.

The expansion of the engineering support department at Purex is due not only to a large increase in sales this year, but also because customers are benefiting from the close customer/supplier relationship encouraged by Purex.

Schofield said, "It is commonly accepted that if a process or task generates hazardous fumes, then to comply with occupational health and safety regulations a fume extraction system should be utilized. However, more and more customers who are purchasing fume extraction systems are asking us for engineering support as they try to reduce process costs, increase productivity and eliminate downtime."

Schofield can be contacted at: +44 (0)1709 763000.

www.purexltd.co.uk